The Fedora 24 Alpha is here, right on schedule for our planned June
final release. Download the prerelease from our Get Fedora site:
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Workstation https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/
prerelease/
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Server https://getfedora.org/en/server/prerelease/
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Cloud https://getfedora.org/en/cloud/prerelease/
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Spins https://spins.fedoraproject.org/prerelease
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha Labs https://labs.fedoraproject.org/prerelease
- Get Fedora 24 Alpha ARM https://arm.fedoraproject.org/prerelease
What is the Alpha release?
--------------------------
The Alpha release contains all the features of Fedora 24's editions in
a form that anyone can help test. This testing, guided by the Fedora
QA team, helps us target and identify bugs. When these bugs are fixed,
we make a Beta release available. A Beta release is code-complete and
bears a very strong resemblance to the third and final release. The
final release of Fedora 24 is expected in June.
If you take the time to download and try out the Alpha, you can check
and make sure the things that are important to YOU are working. Every
bug you find and report doesn't just help you, it improves the
experience of millions of Fedora users worldwide!
Together, we can make Fedora rock-solid. We have a culture of
coordinating new features and pushing fixes upstream as much as we
can, and your feedback improves not only Fedora, but Linux and Free
software as a whole.
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/24/Schedule
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_file_a_bug_report
Fedora-Wide Changes
-------------------
Under the hood, glibc has moved to 2.23. The update includes better
performance, many bugfixes and improvements to POSIX compliance, and
additional locales. The new library is backwards compatible with the
version of glibc that was shipped in Fedora 23, and includes a number
of security and bug fixes.
We've also updated the system compiler to GCC 6 and rebuilt all
packages with that, providing greater code optimization and catching
programming errors which had slipped past previous compilers.
Workstation
-----------
- Workstation features a preview of GNOME 3.20, which was released
just after the Alpha was cut. The GNOME 3.20 release is already
available in the Fedora 24 update stream. Once you install Fedora 24
Alpha, you can use Software or dnf to update. GNOME 3.20 will of
course be part of Fedora 24 Beta and the Final release.
- We have decided not to make Wayland, the next generation graphic
stack, the default in Fedora 24 Workstation. However, Wayland
remains available as an option, and the Workstation team would
greatly appreciate your help in testing. Our goal is one full
release where the non-default Wayland option works seamlessly, or
reasonably close thereto. At that point we will make Wayland the
default with X11 as the fallback option.
- There have been many changes to theming in GTK+ 3, where a stable
API has not been declared. As a result, applications that use custom
CSS theming, for example, may show issues with their appearance.
This may include default applications that come with Fedora 24 Alpha
Workstation. Users are asked to try out their favorite GTK+ 3 based
applications and report bugs upstream so they might be addressed in
time for the final release.
Server
------
- FreeIPA 4.3 (Domain Controller role) is included in Fedora 24. This
version helps streamline installation of replicas by adding a
replica promotion method for new installs. A new topology plugin has
also been added that automatically manages new replication segment
creation. An effective replica topology visualization tool is also
available in the webUI.
- More packages have been removed from the default Server edition to
make the footprint of the default installation smaller.
Cloud
-----
- For Fedora 24, we're working hard to make Fedora the best platform
for developing containers, from the base Fedora container images to
a full-featured PaaS to run and manage them.
- We're packaging OpenShift Origin for Fedora to make it easy to run
on Fedora. OpenShift Origin is a distribution of Kubernetes
optimized for enterprise application development and
deployment. Origin embeds Kubernetes and adds powerful additional
functionality to deliver an easy to approach developer and operator
experience for building applications in containers.
Spins and Labs
--------------
Fedora Spins are alternative desktops for Fedora that provide a
different desktop experience than the standard Fedora Workstation
edition. Fedora Workstation is built on the GNOME desktop environment
and aims to provide a compelling, easy-to-use operating system for
software developers, while also being well-suited to other users. Our
spins showcase KDE Plasma, Xfce, LXDE, Mate-Compiz, Cinnamon, and
Sugar on a Stick (Soas) on the same Fedora Base.
Fedora Labs are collections of software for specific purposes — Games,
Design, Robotics, and so on. They are pre-selected sets of Fedora
software and are ideal for events or audiences with the corresponding
specific interest. Fedora 24 comes with a new lab, the Astronomy Spin, a
set of tools for astronomers and astrophysicists.
Note that the SoaS spin and Security, Games, and Design Suite labs are
missing from the Fedora 24 Alpha release. We plan to fix this for the
Beta release.
ARM
---
ARM images are available as usual for several usecases. Fedora 24 ships
Desktop images, such as Spins and Workstation, but also provides a
Server image. A minimal Fedora image completes the wide set of install
options for you ARM board.
Atomic Host
-----------
Fedora Atomic Host releases on a two-week schedule, and each release is
built on the latest overall Fedora OS. This schedule means the Atomic
Host is currently built on Fedora 23, but will switch to Fedora 24 when
we're out of Beta. There currently is no Fedora Atomic Host built on
Fedora 24 Alpha, but we plan to have that for the Beta.
However, you can try one of the newer features with recent Fedora Atomic
Host builds today. Since Fedora 23 was released, Atomic Host has added a
"developer mode" that gives a better developer experience overall. When
running in DEVELOPER MODE, the host will download and start Cockpit and
fire up a TMUX session to make it easier to work at the console and
obtain necessary information (like the root password, IP address,
etc.).
Issues and Details
------------------
This is an Alpha release. As such, we expect that you may encounter bugs
or missing features. To report issues encountered during testing,
contact the Fedora QA team via the mailing list or in #fedora-qa on
Freenode.
As testing progresses, common issues are tracked on the Common F24 Bugs
page.
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common_F24_bugs
For tips on reporting a bug effectively, read "how to file a bug
report."
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_file_a_bug_report
Release Schedule
----------------
The full release schedule is available on the Fedora wiki:
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/24/Schedule
The current schedule calls for a beta release towards the beginning of May,
and
the final release in early June.
Be aware that these dates are development targets. Some projects release
on a set date regardless of feature completeness or bugs; others wait
until certain thresholds for functionality or testing are met. Fedora
uses a hybrid model, with milestones subject to adjustment. This allows
us to make releases with new features and newly-integrated and updated
upstream software while also retaining high quality.
Flock 2016: Krakow, Poland
--------------------------
If you're a contributor to Fedora, or interested in getting more
involved, one way to engage with our community is through Fedora
premier events.
The annual North American/European conference for Fedora contributors
is Flock, which takes place August 2-5, 2016 in Krakow, Poland.
Registration is now open at https://register.flocktofedora.org.
For more information about our Latin American and Asia-Pacific
Conferences, stay tuned for announcements on the Fedora Community
Blog:
* https://communityblog.fedoraproject.org

# F24 Blocker Review meeting
# Date: 2016-03-29
# Time: 16:00 UTC
# Location: #fedora-blocker-review on irc.freenode.net
Hi folks! We were quite short on people for the blocker review meeting
today (2016-03-28) so we're going to try again tomorrow (2016-03-29),
same time (16:00 UTC), same channel (#fedora-blocker-review).
We have a few proposed blockers to review, so let's take a
look at them. There are 4 proposed Beta blockers, 5 proposed Final
blockers, and 2 accepted Beta blockers.
If you have time tonight, you can take a look at the proposed or
accepted blockers before the meeting - the full lists can be found
here: https://qa.fedoraproject.org/blockerbugs/ . Remember to check
each outstanding milestone (Beta and Final).
We'll be evaluating these bugs to see if they violate any of the
Release Criteria and warrant the blocking of a release if they're not
fixed. Information on the release criteria for F24 can be found on the
wiki [0].
For more information about the Blocker and Freeze exception process,
check out these links:
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:SOP_blocker_bug_process
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:SOP_freeze_exception_bug_process
And for those of you who are curious how a Blocker Review Meeting
works - or how it's supposed to go and you want to run one - check out
the SOP on the wiki:
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:SOP_Blocker_Bug_Meeting
Have a good night and see you tomorrow!
[0] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_Release_Criteria
--
Adam Williamson
Fedora QA Community Monkey
IRC: adamw | Twitter: AdamW_Fedora | XMPP: adamw AT happyassassin . net
http://www.happyassassin.net

# Fedora Quality Assurance Meeting
# Date: 2016-03-28
# Time: 15:00 UTC
(https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Infrastructure/UTCHowto)
# Location: #fedora-meeting on irc.freenode.net
Greetings testers!
It's meeting time again tomorrow! We haven't met for a few weeks and
F24 Alpha is signed off now, so let's meet up and just sync everyone up
with current status and so on. We might have some new people to say Hi
to as well - if you joined recently, do come along to the meeting :)
Note that clocks went forward in most parts of the world since the last
meeting, so the meeting time is now 1500 UTC. If you observe daylight
savings and you've set your clock forward since the last meeting, it
will be at the same local time as before; if you don't observe daylight
savings, the meeting will be an hour earlier than before.
If anyone has any other items for the agenda, please reply to this
email and suggest them! Thanks.
== Proposed Agenda Topics ==
1. Previous meeting follow-up
2. Fedora 24 status, Beta planning
3. Test Days
4. Open Floor
--
Adam Williamson
Fedora QA Community Monkey
IRC: adamw | Twitter: AdamW_Fedora | XMPP: adamw AT happyassassin . net
http://www.happyassassin.net

# F24 Blocker Review meeting
# Date: 2016-03-21
# Time: 16:00 UTC
# Location: #fedora-blocker-review on irc.freenode.net
Hi folks! We have a few proposed blockers to review, so let's take a
look at them. There are 3 proposed Alpha blockers, 3 proposed Beta
blockers and 6 proposed Final blockers. We should also look at the 6
proposed Alpha freeze exceptions.
As Kamil pointed out last week, the meeting time is now 1600 UTC as
clocks went forward last week in most places. If your region observes
daylight savings time and you've changed your clocks forward already,
the meeting is at the same local time as always. If you haven't changed
your clocks, it'll be an hour earlier than before. Handy hint: you can
always run "date -u" to see the current UTC time!
If you have time this weekend, you can take a look at the proposed or
accepted blockers before the meeting - the full lists can be found
here: https://qa.fedoraproject.org/blockerbugs/ . Remember to check
each milestone (Alpha, Beta, Final).
We'll be evaluating these bugs to see if they violate any of the
Release Criteria and warrant the blocking of a release if they're not
fixed. Information on the release criteria for F24 can be found on the
wiki [0].
For more information about the Blocker and Freeze exception process,
check out these links:
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:SOP_blocker_bug_process
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:SOP_freeze_exception_bug_process
And for those of you who are curious how a Blocker Review Meeting
works - or how it's supposed to go and you want to run one - check out
the SOP on the wiki:
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:SOP_Blocker_Bug_Meeting
Have a good weekend and see you on Monday!
[0] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_Release_Criteria
--
Adam Williamson
Fedora QA Community Monkey
IRC: adamw | Twitter: AdamW_Fedora | XMPP: adamw AT happyassassin . net
http://www.happyassassin.net

Hi folks! I'm proposing we cancel Monday's QA meeting. Once again we'll
mainly be focusing on Alpha this week, I think, and we have the blocker
review meeting to see how we're doing there. It *has* been two weeks
since the last meeting, though, and I've been heads down on robot
herding, so please *do* reply to this mail and point it out if I'm
missing something that would be worth having a meeting for, and we can
have one! Thanks.
--
Adam Williamson
Fedora QA Community Monkey
IRC: adamw | Twitter: AdamW_Fedora | XMPP: adamw AT happyassassin . net
http://www.happyassassin.net